Our Tax Relief Process

Many clients who retain our tax relief services are interested in knowing two things: can you settle this for less than I owe, and how long will this take?

When you hire our law ﬁrm to resolve your tax issue, some of the relief will be immediate, and some will be over time. Remember, IRS problems didn’t come about overnight, and they will take time to resolve. The good news is that generally, you won’t have to meet or speak with the IRS while we are representing you. An average Offer in Compromise case can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months (and longer) depending on the amount of tax liability owed the complexity and your individual facts and circumstances. But during that time you won’t have to deal with the IRS or worry about collections. You can rest knowing that a tax attorney is handling your issue.

STEPS TO TAX RESOLUTION

1. FREE EVALUATION: If you have never been a client of mine, the ﬁrst step is to call or come in for your conﬁdential, no obligation free evaluation. At this meeting, an experienced tax attorney will evaluate your situation and discuss all available options for resolving your matter. Make sure you discuss any state tax issues that you would like us to handle. We do not automatically include state issues in our contract. The meeting takes about 30-45 minutes. However, there are times where the information you provide us is not sufﬁcient to determine a course of action. To get the best results, please have all of your recent IRS and state notices available.

2. HIRING OUR FIRM: At the end of your consultation, if we think you are a good “ﬁt” for tax relief and our law ﬁrm, you will be given the opportunity to retain us as your tax attorney. You will be required to sign a contract and make payment arrangements for our tax relief services. We will then ﬁle a Power of Attorney (POA) with the IRS. That alone will provide you with immediate relief because from that point on the IRS will be required to contact us instead of you. If they should happen to contact you, all you need to do is politely request that they contact The Law Office of Judi Smith, LLC directly and provide them with our contact information including a phone number. A separate POA is required for any State problem.

3. BEGINNING THE TAX RELIEF PROCESSTogether we will develop a phased strategy for resolving your case and tell you what steps to take for the best outcome.

4. IRS COMPLIANCE: Before the IRS will consider any negotiation or settlement, you must become a compliant taxpayer. Compliance means that all past-due income tax returns must be prepared and ﬁled. Compliance also means you have to be current on your quarterly estimated income tax payments and withholding from your wages is at the correct rate if you are a wage earner. If you cannot furnish the necessary records to prepare your taxes, we have developed methods under IRS regulations for completing tax returns based on the records you do have to get them ﬁled as soon as possible.

5. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES: Clients who achieve successful resolution of their matters have the following traits in common: They view the relationship with us as a collaborative one. They view this as a “project” that requires cooperation. They follow through, on a timely basis, with our requests for information and documentation. Clients that achieve stated resolution goals return our phone calls, emails and stay in contact with us throughout the duration of their case.

6. TAX SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATION: We will propose a plan of resolution to the IRS that you can live with and see through to acceptance. We have an excellent IRS settlement track record rate and pride ourselves in obtaining the best (lowest) settlement for you under the law. However, it is rare that a proposal is accepted right away. Through diligence, persistence, and follow-up we will monitor, provide additional information to the IRS as needed, and negotiate your proposed resolution until you have tax relief.

7. TAX RESOLUTION: We will review the ﬁnal resolution of your case by the IRS to make sure it is as agreed. If not, we will insist that it be changed to reﬂect what was agreed. If the IRS is unwilling to do this, we will explain your options are for the next step. Finally, we will give you guidance on what you must do to succeed with your tax relief and avoid future tax problems.

Begin your journey to tax relief and peace of mind. Call or contact us to request your FREE case evaluation by a tax attorney today.